Round Two? How Good Will Wednesday’s Northern Lights Be?

If you didn't get out to see for yourself (or see photos on social media), the Northern Lights were on full display across a sizable part of the country, with people across Minnesota and Wisconsin seeing an intense, overhead show.

This is all due to something called a coronal mass ejection (CME) hitting the Earth's atmosphere. The powerful solar storm set off a pretty incredible aurora show on Tuesday night, while also prompting some warnings about the power grid and other technology.

For some people in parts of Northern Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin, the view on Tuesday night was obstructed (at least partially in some places) by clouds, especially earlier in the night. Other parts of the region did have a much better view of the light show as KP index numbers got as high as 8 and 9 (very high), indicating an especially great show.

Will Wednesday night offer an even better viewing opportunity? Here's a look at the Northern Lights outlook for tonight.

First, the cloud cover situation...Will there be clouds tonight?

Most of Minnesota and Wisconsin is enjoying a generally cloud-free day during the daytime hours on Wednesday. As the sun goes down, most of the region should stay mostly cloud-free.

READ MORE: The Scientifically-Proven Best Places In Minnesota For Northern Lights Viewing

It looks like parts of Southern Minnesota might have some partly cloudy conditions to contend with after dark, but most of Minnesota and Wisconsin should have pretty clear sky conditions for tonight.

How good will the Northern Lights be on Wednesday night?

While no forecast is certain, the outlook is pretty promising for tonight.

The KP index, a number used to measure the intensity of a geomagnetic event, is measured on a scale from 0 to 9. In Minnesota and most of Wisconsin, a KP index of 5 is the minimum for decent odds at seeing something at least on the northern horizon.

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Tuesday night's KP index numbers got above 8 at times, bringing an active overhead show over Minnesota and Wisconsin and to places south.

For tonight, the outlook is showing slightly lower numbers than last night's 8, but right after sunset, KP index numbers could be as high as 7 or so, and decreasing to 6 through the later hours of the night. Those are still very promising for a great show!

It's also worth noting that these numbers can spike and dip through the night, meaning that a Northern Lights show can get stronger or weaker as the intensity fluctuates up and down and varies from the forecasted numbers.